Browned Butter-How to

Ok so...I'm not the first person to do a post about how to brown butter.

But that's OK.

Just in case you are one of those people out there who doesn't know how to brown butter (or *gasp* don't know what it is!) this post is for you! If you don't know what it is, here's a great sum up from Ambitious Kitchen:

"Basically unsalted butter is melted in a saucepan which separates the butter and milk. The milk from the butter sinks to the bottom of the pan, which essentially browns and turns a caramel color. The french call is beurre noisette, which translates to hazelnut butter. I believe it’s called this because once the butter is brown, it gives off a nutty aroma."

And food made with it becomes something magical. I'm a seriously obsessed girl. I'll brown butter in virtually anything and everything. Here comes the tutorial:

All you need is unsalted butter, a whisk, and a saucepan (preferably one with a lighter color, so you can more easily see the little flecks of browned butter). Take the called upon amount of butter, cut it up, and place it in the saucepan over medium heat. Let melt.

 Once it melts you want to whisk constantly. It will initially foam up...

 ...then it will become golden and bubbly. Keep on whisking until...

little brown flecks form at the bottom and you have a gorgeous amber color! Remove from heat and continue whisking, I also advise you pour it into a bowl or some such to keep it from burning. Then use in your recipe.

Browned Butter Dark Chocolate and Marshmallow Cookies

And gaze at the gorgeous little flecks that may show up, like in the above cookies, and moan over the ecstasy that is the nutty, complex flavor of browned butter.

Voila! There! Easy peasy, right? GO FORTH AND USE BROWN BUTTER!

Some recipes on the blog featuring browned butter

Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes

Brown Butter Macaroni and Cheese

Brown Butter Biscuits

Browned Butter Brownies

Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip and Pecan Cookies

Brown Butter Chocolate Stuffed Toffee Chip Cookies

Browned Butter Dark Chocolate and Marshmallow Cookies

Brown Butter Dark Chocolate and Toasted Pecan Cookies

Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Browned Butter Peanut Butter Cookies

Browned Butter Salted Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Brown Butter Cinnamon Coconut Cookies

Browned Butter Peanut Butter Cup Crunch Cookies with Sea Salt

Moving day is very quickly approaching. It's like stress levels to the max over here! My apartment is a mess of boxes and I'm just trying to keep calm and be ready for the fact that in 1 week...I'm gonna pack up and ship on out.

Emotional preparations aside, I also need to try to keep the stuff we have to bring with us to a minimum, so I've needed to do some pantry cleaning. That, my friends, is how these big, beautiful cookies were born.

I've had half a bag of crushed Butterfingers hanging out in my freezer since I made these and these. And I still had a good amount of mini peanut butter cups from this cookie recipe I made a little over a month ago. And those had to go! So I thought...hey...let's make some cookies. And I'll use that delicious cookie base recipe from Baker by Nature that I used for that cookie recipe I just mentioned-it's perfect for mix-ins! And...guys...they COULD NOT have turned out better!!

These are essentially a browned butter chocolate chip cookie base but...it straddles the line between that and a peanut butter cookie. I added a couple tablespoons of peanut butter to the dough-just enough to highlight the flavors of the butterfingers and peanut butter cups, but to still let that yummy browned butter/brown sugar flavor shine through!

And they are BIG, sturdy, chewy, gooey, perfectly textured, perfectly delicious cookies. They'd be perfect to give or send someone as a gift. PLUS-they're pretttyyy, just look at those crackly tops! I DIE over crackly tops!

And the taste aghhhh! You bite in and you get the crunchy toffee-peanut butter flavor of the Butterfingers throughout, and these awesome chunks of a bigger chocolate peanut butter punch from the pb cups, and there's the complexity of the browned butter and that hint of peanut butter that lingers...and...of course...there's sea salt (I used some gorgeously large cyprus flakes). Sweet and salty allll the way!

Fun story: I had a giant cookie at a restaurant recently and all I could think the whole time I ate it was how much better it would've been with salt on top. I am an addict.

Browned Butter Peanut Butter Cookies + Peanut Butter & Co

There's a little shop in lower Manhattan called Peanut Butter & Co. About a year ago, while my best friend Alex was visiting, we made a trip out there to eat some huge and delicious peanut butter sandwiches, share a peanut butter sundae, and buy some jars of peanut butter to take home. If you're not familiar with PB & Co, you should be. I could talk about them all day. But visit their web site, google them, you'll become enlightened. They're not only a sandwich shop-they produce 10 varieties of amazingly delicious and addictive peanut butters: Smooth Operator, Crunch Time, Cinnamon Raisin Swirl, The Heat Is On, White Chocolate Wonderful, Dark Chocolate Dreams, The Bee's Knees, Mighty Maple, Old Fashioned Smooth, and Old Fashioned Crunchy. (visit here to find them in a store near you, or you can always order online). They don't just sell peanut butter either-what they sell encompass all you would want/need that goes along with it. They love peanut butter. I love peanut butter. Match made in heaven. So, I was super stoked when they sent me a shipment including 2 of my favorites of the amazing PB & Co peanut butters:

Browned Butter Peanut Butter Cup Blondies

Just accept this fact: If a sweet recipe calls for melted butter....you can be pretty certain that I'll ending up browning it. As long as we've all agreed to this, we can carry on being friends. Glad we had this talk.

So yeah. These peanut butter cup blondies looked great to begin with, and they're only made better by browning that butter!

The texture is lovely-chewy and soft yet sturdy. Then you have the mellow peanut butter punctuated by dashes of rich peanut butter cup bites. And the added complexity of the browned butter adds just that little extra special something. 

And you can whip these yummies up in one bowl! (I mean...plus a skillet for browning the butter. Worth it.)

I made these lovelies to take to my grandma's for her 4th of July pool party. Did they go over well?

My cousin Christian (who is 16) ate at least 3 and kept saying, "Kayle...THESE ARE SO GOOD.", his little sister, my cousin Brianna, ate 1 (even though she's "sensitive to peanut butter" ! She insisted it was worth it) my brother ate 2 and 1/2, my cousin's husband ate about 2, and I don't even know who all ate what else, all I know is they were gone pretty darned quick. My Aunt complained that I should have cut them into smaller pieces because they were so rich! Josh (my bro) and I agree that we think she's crazy but hey, to each their own. 

Perhaps you should be the judge?

(You know...for science...)

Browned Butter, Salted, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I mean, come on guys, I've gotta leave you with 1 more cookie recipe before Christmas!

Ambitious Kitchen became one of my cookie idols when I saw this recipe.

Let's take stock, shall we?

Browned butter? 

Check.

Peanut butter?

Check.

Chocolate chips?

Check.

Sea salt?

Check.

Ginormous cookie, chock full of flavor?

CHECK!

I honestly don't know what else to tell you guys. 

These cookies are huge, chewy, and absolutely, wonderfully, perfectly delicious.

Do Santa a favor, and put these out for him (or you could just hoard them away and deal with him giving you coal...I'd say it's borderline worth it.)

Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies-Holiday Recipe Exchange:Week 10 (Butter).

I'd heard the hype, I knew all about browned butter. And I believed it, it sounded awesome. And you know what?

It. is. AWESOME.

This was exactly as amazing as I expected. For those of you who don't know:

When you cook butter until it browns, something magical happens. It all of a sudden has the ability to add an unbelievable amount of complexity and an almost smoky, nutty quality to anything you use it in. 

These cookies were SO. GOOD. Michael's take on the difference in taste? 

"I can taste the butter more."

Yes, sweetie, I'm sure you could.

In general it's just a great chocolate chip cookie, lovely texture and great, unique taste from the browned butter. And, since the butter is obviously the star of this cookie show-what better submission for a butter themed Holiday Recipe Exchange? 

(Previous Holiday Recipe Exchange posts: Week 1 Parts 1 and 2, Week 3, Week Six, Week Seven, and Week Nine)

Browned Butter Dark Chocolate and Marshmallow Cookies-Cookie Wars 2012!

You remember how I told you guys about Baker Bettie's Cookies Are The New Cupcake? She's taken it to the next level!! I'm not sure if you're familiar with The Food Network show "Cupcake Wars", but Baker Bettie is hosting "Cookie Wars"!!! The requirements are that it must be an original recipe (although the base can be adapted), and it must have at least 2 of the following ingredients:

Browned Butter Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups with Graham Cracker Crusts

After my last attempt at caramel sauce in a chocolate chip cookie...I decided to try again. I was hopeful the caramel would be more noticeable. Good news: it was! Slightly. But it helped that I drizzled the cups with caramel too. And that I used browned butter...actually....browning butter is just helpful, period. Mmmmm...

Anyway, when I decided to make this recipe I realized that I was lacking in pretzels (which were what originally crusted these cups)--so instead I made little graham cracker crusts. Which meant these cookie cups taste a little s'moresy...ya know...minus the marshmallows...stay with me on this.

Cookie cups are great-you never have to worry about if they're going to rise correctly or spread too much or anything. They just bake up in their little muffin cups and you are guaranteed a thick, chewy, gooey cookie. Plus, now there's a whole world of putting a crust on your cookie. So it's like cookie + pie. Amazingness.

These cookies are perfectly portable yet soft and gooey on the insides. The browned butter adds that bit of depth, and the caramel drizzled on top with the salt adds that mmm mmm salty goodness to the sweet. The graham cracker crust is buttery and delightful and...chocolate chips...always our friends. They're crazy addictive and simply irresistible. Find out for yourselves, my friends!

Salted Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

There's fancy, and then there's fancy. These truffles were pretty amped up to begin with but I maaay have taken them to the next level. Oh yeah.

But I'm getting ahead of myself (as I've been known to do).

Obviously, I love cookie dough. And I love cookie dough truffles. But THESE...are just like, in a league of their own.

First...you brown butter. And that butter is not alone. Oh no. While you're browning the butter, there are also vanilla beans in there. If you think brown butter smells amazing...I can't even begin to explain how PHENOMENAL browned butter and vanilla beans smell. It's like...the best smell ever. I wanna bottle it. And wear it....of course then I'd be hungry all day...hmmm.

Anyway, then you make a fairly classic, eggless, chocolate chip cookie dough with that browned butter (and there's some heavy cream in there too...in case it wasn't rich enough before). BUT I added the delicious twist of, instead of chocolate chips, I folded TCHO's chocolate covered cocoa nibs into the dough. This was Michael's favorite part.

And then you coat the little perfect dough balls in dark chocolate and sprinkle coarse sea salt on top.

Perfecto!

The first bite is....dare I say...foodgasmic (it's the best word to describe it).

Just like...the most rich, sweet, salty, flavor explosion.

I can't even get over how amazing these were. 

But, I was worried they'd be too much for Michael, that he wouldn't like them as much or something. But he totally fell in love too. His first bite, I could tell from his face, pretty much changed his life. And he loved the crunch from the cocoa nibs. And ever since, he hasn't been able to stop talking about them. Me either.

Just...stop. Stop reading. Run and make these. You simply must.

Browned Butter Brown Sugar Toffee Blondies

These blondies are seriously gooey. And I'm unsure if they're supposed to be quiiite this gooey...or if I underbaked them...It doesn't really matter. Either way they are fan-friggin-tastic! Sometimes the messiest things taste the best. True story.

I feel like the color brown gets a bad rep. Brown is a perfectly lovely color. It's the color of my hair. It's the color of my Michael's very lovely eyes (contrary to what he says. I won't repeat what he says to describe the brown color of his eyes). It's the color of most of the delicious things I can imagine. Chocolate? Brown. Toffee? Brown. Browned butter? Brown Sugar? Brown is in the name. And these are some of the tastiest things in life! Annnnnd they are all highlighted in these blondies. Boom! Brown is. da. shiz.

The original name of this recipe was "I <3 Brown Sugar Blondies". And I DO love brown sugar! It's so warm and complex and molasses-y. Ahhh brown sugar....you are the superior sugar. It is true. And these babies have a full THREE CUPS of brown sugar-2 light brown and 1 dark brown. So yeah...you're getting a big punch of that flavor. And...since the recipe had melted butter anyway...and I knew it would only serve to amp up the flavor even more and make these even more mouthwatering...I obviously browned the butter. Which was a good call, btw. Browning the butter added even more nuances and buttery goodness. Toffee is a perfect compliment to the 2, with just a little bit of semisweet chocolate chips in to help add a little something different. And some salt on top helps balance the entire thing. *muah* bellisima!

These blondies are a party on your tastebuds. You bite into a crackly top that gives way to utter gooeyness. Then you just taste everything. Like...you want to have a Homer Simpson "Mmmmm....blondies," moment. I'm literally beginning to salivate just thinking about it. The brown sugar is totally the star but the browned butter merges with the flavor so perfectly you almost can't distinguish between them. And then you get the crunchy bites of toffee and slightly melted pieces of semisweet chocolate (which adds a welcome bit of variety to break up the melding of the other flavors)...and the salt hits your palate to just make all the rest of it taste not too sweet. Like...they're sweet. But not too sweet. Warm and complex. Those are the words for this treat. And WHAT a treat these blondies are. Mmmmm.....blondies.

Browned Butter Popcorn

I interrupt your popcorn fantasies to bring to you some sad news:

Me and savory popcorn are broken up.

I know! I know. No one's sadder than me. But we had a good run. I used to eat microwaved popcorn daily (or at least weekly). I was known to scarf down a large bucket of the buttery stuff at the movies. I literally purchased a new microwave in my first apartment because the one that came with the place wasn't large enough to pop popcorn. But in the past few years...we've grown apart. I already had to give up movie popcorn after I got sick more than a couple times from it. I lost my craving for the microwave kind (even after I found a way to do it homemade). I found a new popcorn love...sweet popcorns. Chocolate and caramel corns, those have been bringing me nothing but joy. But when I heard of browned butter on popcorn...I knew I had to try to rekindle mine and savory popcorn's love. But alas...it was not to be. After a couple (delectable) bites...I no longer wanted any more. And my stomach protested the entire thing. I had a headache and was nauseous for the rest of the night.

I don't know why, but this same thing happened with eggs. I ate too much of a thing and now..it makes me sick. I don't know why. But I have to accept my sad fate. Because let's face it...if browned butter popcorn can't fix it....nothing can.

Anyway...my stupid palate/belly aside. Let's discuss.

BROWNED BUTTER POPCORN, people!!!

I mean...how did this never occur to me until now? It's so genius! Maybe I got sick later, but those first couple bites...mmm they were buttery, nutty, heavenly popcorn goodness.

65+ Chocolate Chip Recipes for National Chocolate Chip Day

HOOORAY! It is National Chocolate Chip Day! I love this day, because chocolate chips are one of MY FAVORITE ingredients! I throw them 'em just about everything (except for dinner ;P), so I thought-let's see HOW MANY recipes I have, on this blog, that use chocolate chips! And I think I've got them all, feast your eyes and prepare to get hungryyyy....

Browned Butter Mini Chip Cookies

It took like...a crazy amount of time after we moved before I made cookies. Michael even pulled out the old "You know what we haven't had in awhile? COOKIES!" and he.was.RIGHT! And so I decided to go classic and try one of my bjillion chocolate chip cookie recipes that I had saved. Cuz...I mean...you gotta try lots of different ones! They're all different! And these ones have browned butter, which is my bestie.

I also added salt to the tops of these cookies because my sweet and salty situation is like...out of control. It's necessary. I ate a cookie the other day and it didn't have salt and all I could think of how much better it would've been with salt on top. Silly people here are all like "What? Salt on a cookie?" and I'm like "ahhhh you guys have not lived yet! GET SOME!" 

Speaking of cookies, I was soooo excited to make some cookies this week for Michael's cousin's wedding (which is TOMORROW!) Making my food for people I know and love gives me such a happy feeling. It's almost as satisfying as the feeling I get when I eat the food I make. Mmmm.

(speaking of good food....can we talk about the fact that my autocorrect consistently corrects the word "food" to "good"...like...I know food is good....but food is in fact a word, Apple, and it does not need autocorrection! Especially because, let's face it, I talk about food a lot.)

Like right now: These cookies are classic. They're crisp and chewy and have that little extra oomph from the browned butter and salt. Are they my favorite CCC recipe? No. These are...or maybe these...or perhaps these...oh no...or maybe these...or these ?? TOO MANY!

But am I happy I made and proceeded to eat the everloving crap out of these cookies?

Yes. Yes I am.

and I made my brother break his diet to have one. So that was a victory too.

buahahaaaaa....

My Favorite Cookies {for the Holidays!}

In the past I have shared holiday gift guides with all of you. last year I shared kitchen tools, the year before that I shared homemade gift ideas and the year before that I did as well! But this year I want to share with you my absolute FAVORITE cookies from this blog. Holiday baking season is upon us and I know I have a lot of cookie recipes, and it can be hard to tell which ones are the best. That is what this list is for: my tried and true favorites that myself, my hubby, and my friends and family can all attest are phenomenal.

Happy baking!

Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is my favorite straight up chocolate chip cookie recipe. They're big, chewy, gooey, and have delicious browned butter and sea salt on top. THE BEST!

Flourless Dark Chocolate Cookies

Serious chocolate decadence--thus far they're my favorite chocolate cookies.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

These have been a staple in my repertoire for years--they're sturdy, a rich chocolate-peanut butter cookie base, and have peanut butter cups all up in them! Yay!

Browned Butter Peanut Butter Cup Crunch Cookies with Sea Salt

This is one of my favorite cookie bases for mix-ins and this is my favorite version of it, thus far. They're seriously giant cookies and the textures are perfection.

Brown Butter Chocolate Stuffed Toffee Chip Cookies

I have adapted this recipe so many times--in this post I stuffed them with salted caramel, and recently I used only toffee chips and stuffed them with chunks of Heath bars for Thanksgiving, and my family is STILL raving about how good they are!

Browned Butter Dark Chocolate and Marshmallow Cookies
The first cookie recipe I ever adapted on my own. It's still a favorite--they're super chewy, have browned butter in them, and dark chocolate and mini marshmallows offset each other in such a delightful way. (I've made them with milk chocolate for people who don't like dark but I find that to be way too sweet, the dark chocolate really helps balance them.)

Pecan Laceys
Gorgeous cookies that are seriously delish and would look very impressive on a cookie tray.

Exceptional Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you want a super sophisticated, super high quality chocolate chip cookie--this is the recipe to use!

Browned Butter, Salted, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
You may be noticing a bit of a theme with browned butter...it just makes everything better! As does sea salt. And that is why these are my favorite peanut butter cookies.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
This is a very classic chocolate chip cookie recipe with one very special ingredient---coconut oil instead of butter. So, you can make these dairy-free (if you use dairy-free chocolate chips) but honestly you'll never be able to tell that these are made with coconut oil instead of butter. They're just tasty! I've made mini versions of these for my family a few times.

THE Levain Chocolate Chip Cookie Copycat Recipe
If you've ever had the pleasure of tasting a Levain chocolate chip cookie then you will be SO excited when you see that you can literally make a perfect copy cat at home with this recipe. The cookies are GIANT and just...delicious. Fact.

Brown Butter Pecan Toffee Cookies
Dark brown sugar, toffee, brown butter + toasted pecans...this is a recipe for complexity and overwhelming cookie nirvana.

Momofuku's Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies
Look...this is not an easy recipe. I have no guarantees on how it will turn out for you (I mean..it didn't turn out right for me but I didn't care because it was STILL outstanding)--what I do know is that this is the most popular recipe on my site and that it is an incredibly delicious cookie. And I'm actually thinking I should tackle this one again soon.

Nutella Stuffed, Brown Butter, Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies
Isn't the title enough to explain why this is a favorite?

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls
This is one of the rare cookie recipes that I make over and over again, for just myself (and Michael...I guess...) it's the best of both worlds between cookie dough and cookies. They're insane. So good. Trust me.

Butterfinger Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
Chewy and crunchy and taaasty.

The New York Times Best Chocolate Chip Cookie
I realize there are a lot of chocolate chip cookies on this list but...they're all amazing in their own way! These ones were dubbed the best by The New York Times (and it's my 2nd most popular recipe) and it is with good reason!

Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
And here is my favorite oatmeal cookie recipe! Again...browned butter makes all the difference! They're big and chewy and yummmyy.

Browned Butter Belgian Liege Wafels

I dare you to take a bite of a waffle that is crisp and chewy, with pockets of caramelized sugar, that (according to my brother) "tastes like a cookie", and NOT became a full on addict.

I'm gonna stop you right now: YOU CAN'T!

Just ask Hayley....and...I'll admit it: ME.

I have found that the #1 food related thing I miss from NYC is probably the liege waffles (the "other" Belgian waffle. It's essentially like the long lost, prettier, more talented, and overall better sister of the Belgian waffle we all know and grew up with) from Wafels and Dinges. It makes me sad that it took me so long to discover them...I only had a year with those flavorful little beauties. And I didn't even appreciate them fully (I mean...I did but like...not enough) until I knew I would be leaving them. Before leaving NYC I probably ate 3+ of those waffles that I dubbed "my last"...but then...I'd see another truck...and I had another! #noregrets

Anyway, I had anticipated that I would go through sugary-waffles-from-heaven withdrawal so I bought myself some pearl sugar before I'd even made the move home (I had it shipped to my mom's house).

And then, as fate would have it, I found myself in possession of a jar of Nutella-my dinge (topping) of choice! Obviously it didn't take me long to tackle making my own homemade liege waffles!

To make the liege waffles you make a thick, yeasted dough and fold in big old chunks of pearl sugar. The pearl sugar chunks caramelize in the waffle iron and create those gorgeous sugary bites as well as the crisp exterior, while the yeasted dough gives us a chewy structure. 

...and this recipe called for melted butter, so I decided to brown it. Typical Kayle move.

Did I notice the browned butter? Ermmm...a little. Not a huge difference. Def. not a necessity. 

Did I love 'em? OF COURSE! They're so PRETTY! And they were sooo delicious, especially smothered in nutella with a good dusting of powdered sugar, and when you get a goood bite of caramelized sugar! 

Are they as good as Wafels and Dinges? Not quiiite (but close!) I think the dough might have been a smidge over-yeasted. That's ok, I'll just continue my quest and try more recipes!

Oh noooo....more liege waffles? Gosh darn it. Life is hard.

:P

Brown Butter Cinnamon Coconut Cookies

Wanna know what I'm doing right now? Entertaining.
Michael's best friend/our high school junior English teacher (yes...his best friend is his former teacher), Scholl (or David...but I still can't call him by his first name :P) is visiting for a long weekend, and Michael is SO happy and excited! I'm pretty pleased too, Scholl is a really fun, super cool guy (and omg he has the cutest/smartest twin almost-4-year-old daughters)--apparently he is going to be cooking some Indian food for him and Michael while he's here, Michael is so spoiled!

Anyway, I made these cookies about a week ago, but we used our self control to make sure to keep some of these leftover long enough for Scholl to have some (he likes cinnamon and coconut in cookies so...you know...obviously).

Now, I know what you're thinking: "Kayle...there's no chocolate in these cookies"
I know.

But these cookies totally are amazing, even without chocolate! I was incredibly intrigued when I saw the recipe on Carla's, Chocolate Moosey, blog. She promised "These coconut cookies are crispy on the edges and chewy in the middle. The coconut flavor is subtle with a burst of cinnamon goodness. I couldn’t stop eating them...They are sturdy enough to handle the trip plus they stay moist even after a few days. I know a couple of chocolate haters that would flip over a box of these. Even chocoholics like myself can’t say no."

So I said to myself, "Alright...I believe you. Let's do this."

But you know...I had to mess with them just a little.

You've noticed I have an obsession with browned butter, and I recently realized (by reading Sally's Baking Addiction) that you can still use browned butter even if the recipe doesn't call for the butter to be melted. It seems to obvious, once you realize it: you can totally just chill the browned butter until it's solid or softened. Ha!

And then I was like...might as well toast up that coconut too, ya know? (Although I'm unsure if that really added anything to the flavor, you may just skip that step if you want).

The end result were thick, chewy yet crisp cookies that have all the complexity of browned butter and the warm comforting flavors of brown sugar and a healthy dose of cinnamon. And the ever so subtle, ever so lovely coconut. These cookies have it all: amazing texture AND amazing flavor! Michael took a bite and said "Ew. These are bad. You should give me all the cookies so you don't have to be subjected to their grossness"

I'm on to you boy.

Make em. For serious.

Browned Butter Brownies

Hi, my name is Kayle.

I'd like to introduce myself.

I love chocolate.

I also loved browned butter.

In case you didn't know.

You guys...these are the best brownies I've ever made.
Possibly that I've ever eaten.

They are so chocolatey and dense and rich and fudgy. They have the wonderful crackly top we all love.

And um...browned butter. Super subtle but it adds such a delicious element.

Michael went gaga for these too. We both were absolutely smitten with these wonderful brownies.

I think you just might be too.

Homemade Holiday Gift Ideas-Part 2

I AM IN DISNEY WORLD RIGHT NOW. RIGHT THIS SECOND. THAT IS WHERE I AM! OHMYGOODNESS I'M SO EXCITED I COULD CRY! Mmmmmmmm but anyway, you poor dears who aren't in the most magical place ever, you still deserve a blog post. And the holidays are a coming. So I have a little listy list for you people with some AMAZING, easy, homemade (food related) holiday gift ideas. This list is similar to last year's....but has more stuff. And I've actually now given some of these. So hooray!

You read this post. I go see Beast's Castle. Deal?

Homemade Peanut Butter/Variation of Nut Butters 

(such as homemade nutella):

Last year I gave my bestie Alex this Chocolate Peanut Butter:

Process peanuts until a ball forms. Add in chocolate. Continue to process until smooth. Add salt if desired.

Pour into a container and store in the refrigerator.

And I also gave my cousin Emily this Homemade Dark Chocolate Walnut Butter.

Cookie Dough:

I gave my brother, Josh, some frozen cookie dough balls from this recipe.

These two methods are particularly good ideas for giving cookie dough (I used the 1st one).

Make sure to include baking instructions with the dough, and keep them in the freezer!

For some ideas of cookie recipes to give as dough, click here.

Cookies:

Giving cookies for Christmas is a classic! I used empty, clean, pringles cans to package the cookies I was gifting this year, and then I wrapped them in wrapping paper! So fun and easy. Just make sure that your cookies aren't too big to fit! Here are some great ideas for cookie recipes to gift this holiday season:

• Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies 
• Cookie Dough Balls
• Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies 
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
• Browned Butter, Salted, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Browned Butter Dark Chocolate and Marshmallow Cookies
• Candy Bar Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Momofuku's Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies
• Brown Butter Chocolate Stuffed Toffee Chip Cookies
• Brown Butter Salted Caramel Stuffed Toffee Chip Cookies
• Chocolate Cookies and Cream Cookies
• Browned Butter Peanut Butter Cookies
• Nutella Stuffed, Brown Butter, Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Butterfinger Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
• Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
• NY Times Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
• (For the gluten free): Butter-less, Flour-less, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Homemade Vanilla Extract

This is still one of my favorites. Homemade vanilla extract is SO simple, and makes such an adorable gift! That little beauty up there was one of my gifts to my future MIL. :)

• Homemade Chocolate Syrup

• Salted Caramel Sauce

• Raspberry Jam

• Caramel Corn

• Puppy Chow

• Chocolate Truffles
  Salted Browned Butter Cookie Dough Truffles
  "Oreo Balls"Peanut Butter Pretzel Truffles
  Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Pecan Truffles
  Other Candy

• Homemade S'mores Kit:
  Include marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers (may I suggest homemade ;P)

For more homemade gift ideas, check out 

my Homemade Gift Ideas pinterest board!